(1) The general assembly finds and declares that:
The lack of medication consistency for individuals with behavioral or mental healthdisorders who are involved in the criminal and juvenile justice systems creates additional, often serious, problems for these individuals;
It is critical that the state increase the likelihood that a broad spectrum of effectivemedications, including psychotropic medications, are available to these individuals, regardless of setting or service provider;
By working cooperatively with the criminal and juvenile justice systems and mentalhealth service providers, the state can help ensure medication consistency and also decrease overall state costs through the use of a common and agreed upon medication formulary and cooperative purchasing;
Prior to its repeal in 2018, the medication consistency work group of the behavioralhealth transformation council identified mental health medications that are essential and preferred for a basic medication formulary that could be used across all public systems to increase medication continuity for individuals with behavioral or mental health disorders in the criminal and juvenile justice systems; and
Increasing information sharing across systems and service providers about the importance of medication consistency and the use of a common and agreed upon medication formulary and cooperative purchasing will result in long-term benefits for the state and for individuals with behavioral or mental health disorders who are involved in the criminal and juvenile justice systems.
Source: L. 2017: Entire article added, (SB 17-019), ch. 405, p. 2113, § 1, effective August 9. L. 2018: (1)(d) amended, (SB 18-161), ch. 123, p. 831, § 5, effective September 1.